1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a draft air deflecting device and more particularly pertains to a draft air deflector utilizable in combination with a firebox having a window thereon wherein the deflector directs draft air directly across the window at a high velocity thereby to cool and clean the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the more critical problems confronting developers of various types of stoves has been the design of stove doors which have windows positioned therein to permit a viewing of a combustion process. In this respect, there has continuously existed a need for keeping these windows cool and clean, and the attempts to meet this need have been many and varied. Additionally, it has been a long recognized and utilized design feature to heat draft air provided to a combustion process prior to its being directed to the combustion area and as such, there has evolved a number of designs for stove doors which utilize draft air deflectors to facilitate the heating of draft air prior to its entry into a combustion process.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 42,935, issued May 31, 1864, to Fares et al, is representative of an early recognition of the desirability for heating draft air prior to its being utilized in a combustion process. In this connection, Fares et al disclose a stove door having draft air entry holes provided on a topmost portion thereof and being of a hollow construction whereby the draft air must travel substantially through a length of the door prior to its emergence from a bottommost portion into a combustion space. In that the door lies proximate to the source of combustion, it will necessarily become heated and thus draft air traversing through the hollow portion thereof will be similarly heated before being used in combustion. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 119,949, issued Oct. 17, 1871, to Perry et al, again reiterated this recognition of the desirability of heating draft air by providing for a stove door and draft deflector utilized in combination therewith to direct draft air through a double flow path for heating prior to combustion. In this regard, draft air entry apertures are provided on a stove door whereby the draft air must traverse a hollow portion of the door for a first heating operation and then exits into a firebox space to flow along a wall permanently attached to the stove so as to be further heated before combustion.
Along with this early recognition of a need for heating draft air, there was additionally some attempts to utilize the draft air for cooling specific portions of an outside surface of a stove. For example, U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 82,637, issued Sept. 29, 1868, to Redway, discloses the use of a stove door having air entry holes in communication with a hollow chamber, said hollow chamber having a plurality of apertures for directing the flow of draft air in a manner which controls the position of the flame within the combustion space. Effectively, the purpose of this stove door was not to heat the draft air but rather to prevent the fire from coming into contact with the firebox walls so as to protect an outside mica surface on the stove, since overheating of the outside surface would result in the mica cracking thus destroying the aesthetic appearance thereof.
There has been at least one attempt to design a stove door which has windows positioned therein and which utilizes draft air as a means of cleaning these windows. In this connection, U.S. Pat. No. 111,020, issued Jan. 17, 1871, to Van Benthuysen, discloses a stove door having a plurality of apertures positioned around the edges thereof and utilizing a frame member which serves as a deflector for directing the incoming draft air across an internal surface of a window so as to prevent a deposit of soot or fine ashes thereon. While this construction at least partially solves the problem of keeping a stove window clean, it does so in a very inefficient manner since an even, uniform flow of draft air is not provided across the window glass. In this regard, the apertures at best provide for a plurality of different flows of air moving in different directions depending on the vacuum within the firebox as created by the combustion process. Further, the air is not directed inwardly through the stove door in a manner which increases its velocity to thereby provide an increased cooling and cleaning effect. As such, the Benthuysen device is illustrative of the problems still existing in the art which the present invention seeks to overcome.